Chapter 822: Inner Valley Land

"Is this the Inner Valley?" Han Li murmured to himself, his face filled with a strange expression, as he gazed at the scene before him.

About ten paces behind him, a massive cliff, over a thousand feet high, stood tall. At its base was a small cave entrance.

Han Li had just emerged from this cave, mere moments ago.

Nangong Hou and the elderly man surnamed Lu stood side by side, their faces equally astonished by the sight before them.

Before them lay a vast mountain range, dotted with countless peaks of various sizes, stretching seemingly endlessly. Yet, it was also a world of vibrant colors.

Everywhere, in the sky and on the ground, drifted patches of faint, iridescent light.

These ethereal mists varied in color and size. Some were several miles wide, resembling twilight clouds, while others were only a few feet long, like thin, delicate veils, all exquisitely beautiful. What truly startled Han Li and the others was not these cloud-like mists, but the extreme紊亂 of the spiritual energy in this place. Spiritual energies of all attributes were mixed and interwoven, giving off a turbulent and restless feeling, as if the slightest touch could provoke them.

"This place truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient cultivators' battlefield. Even the fundamental spiritual energy here has been utterly devastated. This means that anyone casting spells here will likely be affected," Nangong Hou said with a long sigh after observing for a while.

"Those are secondary. The main problem is those things. They are the real trouble," Han Li said with a wry smile, suddenly raising a hand and pointing towards a spot in the sky.

Hundreds of feet away in the air, a dozen or so white, light-like wisps, each about a foot long, were faintly drifting.

Nangong Hou and the elderly man surnamed Lu were instantly shocked when they saw these objects clearly.

"Spatial fissures! How can there be so many? And they move on their own!" Lu Weiying exclaimed, losing his composure.

At this moment, Nangong Hou's expression also turned extremely grim.

"This is normal. Since this is an ancient battlefield, it's expected that there would be more spatial fissures here than outside. Otherwise, why would so many exceptionally talented Nascent Soul cultivators enter this place and never return? To prevent any accidents, from now on, we must follow Venerable Cang Kun's route map precisely. Otherwise, hehe..." Han Li chuckled, glancing at Nangong Hou.

"Brother Han is right. We must absolutely not take any reckless chances. Who knows where invisible spatial fissures might appear. However, these moving fissures, though terrifying, pose no threat as long as we notice them, given their speed," Nangong Hou mused for a moment, then composed himself.

"But the density of spatial fissures here is at least ten times greater than outside. And Brother Nangong's method would only be reliable if the invisible spatial fissures also didn't move. If they dart around like the visible ones, Venerable Cang Kun's route map might not be safe anymore," Lu Weiying said, his brows furrowed, staring thoughtfully at another area dense with spatial fissures.

Han Li was startled by these words. He tilted his head slightly, and a blue light burst from his eyes. Immediately, he spotted a blurry arc of light, motionless in the air about a hundred feet away.

Han Li gazed at this invisible spatial fissure for a moment, then calmed himself.

But just as he was pondering whether and how to reveal this information to the two, Nangong Hou misinterpreted Han Li's pensive expression. After a moment of hesitation, he uttered words that greatly surprised Han Li:

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need to worry. Those invisible fissures don't move. Venerable Cang Kun's遗书 confirmed this."

"Brother Nangong can confirm this? How did Venerable Cang Kun know?" Lu Weiying's spirits lifted, but he also asked with some skepticism.

"Brother Lu, do you think Venerable Cang Kun, after being severely injured, could have safely retreated from the Fallen Devil Valley? It was all thanks to a divine ability he cultivated back then, which allowed him to sense the presence of spatial fissures. That's how he managed to leave this valley. Otherwise, let alone Venerable Cang Kun after being heavily wounded, even at his peak, he couldn't have retreated safely," Nangong Hou calmly explained to them.

Upon hearing this explanation, the elderly man's expression relaxed, and he felt much more at ease.

"To think such a secret technique exists! If that's the case, Venerable Cang Kun's escape from the Fallen Devil Valley wasn't merely a stroke of luck."

Han Li's expression also shifted, seeming to let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Nangong Hou also felt relieved. He feared that Han Li and the other man might develop thoughts of retreating at this point.

Especially Han Li, whose true strength he couldn't gauge, was definitely the main force against the Fire Toad Beast, and he had to be persuaded to continue.

"Alright! We should go. According to the遗书, without rapid flight, the Fire Toad Beast's lair is a full day's journey from here. Be careful along the way, both of you," Nangong Hou said, his expression turning serious again.

"Rest assured, Brother Nangong. My life and Brother Lu's are precious to us, and we will certainly take every precaution," Han Li said with a slight smile, the corner of his mouth curving upwards.

The elderly man surnamed Lu nodded in agreement.

"That's good. We've already wasted enough time. Let's set off," Nangong Hou said with satisfaction.

Then, after discerning the direction, his body flashed with golden light, enveloped in a golden aura, and he floated into the air, slowly flying in a certain direction.

Han Li and the elderly man exchanged glances, their protective spiritual light also shimmering as they ascended into the air. They followed Nangong Hou's flight path closely, not daring to stray an inch.

At this point, even flying a few feet off course could trigger a spatial fissure or an ancient restriction. Han Li and the elderly man were naturally extremely cautious.

Along the way, Nangong Hou's flight path was very peculiar; sometimes it was straight, other times it made a large detour. But regardless of the trajectory, after every hour of flight, he would stop to re-identify their position before continuing.

He didn't pull out any jade slips to consult during the journey, clearly having memorized the route map by heart.

Han Li maintained a normal expression, but secretly forced himself to remember every step of the route. In case of an unexpected change, this could be a life-saving escape route. He estimated that Lu Weiying was likely doing the same.

After all, most cultivators had practiced the fundamental five-element cultivation methods, giving them almost photographic memories. Remembering these routes was naturally effortless.

They flew for a full half day, just as Nangong Hou had said. Indeed, they encountered no dangers.

Han Li gradually felt truly relieved. It seemed Nangong Hou had indeed obtained Venerable Cang Kun's route map from back then.

As he followed behind Nangong Hou, memorizing the flight path, he also simultaneously used his divine sense to scan everything around them.

He estimated that there were at least three or four places with strong restriction fluctuations along the way, and a few others that were indistinct, seeming both present and absent. Han Li couldn't determine whether they were formation restrictions or anomalies caused by the chaotic spiritual energy of the place.

Han Li was naturally very interested in these places and knew that they likely contained treasures left by ancient cultivators. A detour there could lead to significant gains.

However, Han Li only briefly considered it before immediately extinguishing his eagerness.

Because the more he studied some ancient formidable formations, the more he became wary of ancient restrictions.

Through his understanding of certain ancient profound formations, he deeply knew that the power of some ancient restrictions was on par with, or even surpassed, spatial fissures.

Even if he possessed his spiritual eye ability and could avoid all spatial fissures, triggering those ancient restrictions of unknown depth would be risking his life. And with his current discerning eye, ordinary ancient treasures no longer held his interest.

Furthermore, if he could obtain the Fire Toad demon core, the relics from the ancient cultivator's remains, the Spirit Candle Fruits, and the numerous Vajra Silver Sands near the cave entrance from this trip into the valley, it would already be a significant harvest.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Han Li unhesitatingly abandoned the idea of taking risks.

However, his gaze swept over to the elderly man surnamed Lu, whose face was somewhat grim, and who was frequently looking into the distance.

Han Li sighed inwardly.

It seemed that if this individual couldn't find what he desired among the ancient cultivator's remains, he would likely explore some other areas in the Inner Valley.

This couldn't be said to be overly greedy. Han Li thought to himself that if his own lifespan was nearing its end, he would also seize this opportunity to take a risk.

After all, if successful, it could greatly extend his lifespan or dramatically advance his cultivation.

As Han Li pondered this, he couldn't help but feel a touch of sadness.

But just then, Nangong Hou, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped his遁光 and stared straight ahead, his expression turning somewhat uncertain.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned, feeling a faint, uneasy premonition.

His gaze followed suit, scanning the vicinity, then immediately fixed on Nangong Hou's back, remaining silent.

Below them was a small hill, about a hundred feet high, unremarkable and ordinary. Far ahead, conspicuously, two exceptionally tall mountain ridges loomed, one on the left and one on the right.

They had been told that the Fire Toad Beast's lair was a day's journey away, but only half a day had passed, so this was naturally not their destination.

Lu Weiying, who had been somewhat distracted, was startled and looked bewildered.

"Brother Nangong, what's wrong? Why have you stopped?" the elderly man asked, a cautious look in his eyes, confused.

Nangong Hou heard him, slowly turned around, glanced at Han Li and the elderly man, and then suddenly wore a wry smile.

"Gentlemen, I think we might have run into some trouble. We might even have to take some risks."

"What? Brother Nangong, what do you mean by that?" the elderly man's white eyebrows twitched, looking surprised and suspicious.

Han Li rubbed his nose, still saying nothing, but his face also showed a hint of inquiry.

"Fellow Daoists, do you see those two distant mountain ridges?" Nangong Hou slowly asked, pointing to the two tall, similar-looking mountains in the distance.

"Of course. Is the trouble related to them?" Lu Weiying asked in surprise.

"Indeed, it is because of them," Nangong Hou confirmed definitively.